And, over the decades, millions of viewers have responded with affection and enthusiasm. Spielberg’s visually lush and dramatically potent tale put a lesbian relationship up-front and center in a mainstream American movie when nobody dreamed such a thing was possible. This year marks The Color Purple’s 30th anniversary, which ought to be respected as a landmark in motion picture history. Even now, in the Times’ current review of John Doyle’s new Broadway revival of the musical stage version of Alice Walker’s best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking movie is still patronized. “Overripe” belittles the same way words like “sensitive” and “severe” were once euphemisms that stereotyped gay men and lesbians. “Overripe,” the term The New York Times' Ben Brantley recently used to describe the 1985 film The Color Purple, is a way of staving off the emotional power of Hollywood’s greatest gay film. Cynthia Erivo (left) and Joaquina Kalukango in the current Broadway revival of 'The Color Purple.'
